Choice, Free Will, and Destiny

Philosophy Cube by S.H.A. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License

There are a variety of peoples on this Earth, each more different than the fingerprints and DNA that their body holds. We are all the same yet so completely and unimaginably different. There is no predictable life that one can say as soon as an infant is born, that he will grow up to be this or that. Our personalities are shaped and developed and to some degree created from the DNA that we were born with. Society then further changes us based on the opportunities that we get, parenting, wealth (or lack of), education, and experiences, this is how we become who we are.

But then to question all of these factors that have shaped us throughout our lives, and acknowledge that we should not be bound by the past, or the shape that society has labeled us to be, but rather free to make our own choices and choose our own destiny is one that is extremely emancipating from all of the stereotypes that the majority of society labels people to be. Our freedom and individualism as well as the right to make the choice to let go of any constraints is what creates the truly free mind and a person that truly does choose his own path.

I find the majority of people actually do not ponder what life really is, as they are so consumed with the day to day struggles that they do not have any time to step back and observe the living stage that is our daily reality. To actually take the time to notice and understand how choices are always there to make and seizing the day is a matter of choice, not compulsion. In the movie, Gone with the Wind, there is a sign that says “Do not squander time, that is the stuff that life is made of”. And yet daily, you see people in the rat race, that never really use their time to gain happiness or pursue what they enjoy doing. The 9-5 grind is the murderer of creativity, and the corporate cubicles the butcher of any thought or reason. But to be honest, taking a step back and taking a really long hard look into the mirror is not an easy prospect. To really take that journey of self discovery you have to be completely honest with yourself. Until taking that journey, I never really understood the concept of self deception. To believe something about yourself, that you are the victim, that you are stuck in a rut, that you can’t do anything about, is self deprecating and does not give credit or place responsibility with the reality that you are the chooser of your own destiny. Yes, we all have trials and tribulations, that is life, but to rise above those tribulations and take blatant responsibility for the life that you have created for yourself is an epiphany.